волим те
volim teCyrillic
In Serbian, 'I love you' is said as волим те or volim te. Wiktionary also lists ја те волим (ja te volim) and ja te volim.
Meaning: affirmation of romantic feeling (phrase)
Ways to say it
| Serbian | Romanization (Wiktionary) | Note |
|---|---|---|
| волим те | volim te | Cyrillic |
| ја те волим | ja te volim | Cyrillic |
| volim te | Latin | |
| ja te volim | Latin |
This phrase is used to express a romantic feeling toward someone.
Which one should you use?
The forms волим те and volim te are the same phrase written in different scripts: Cyrillic and Latin respectively. You can also use ја те волим to add emphasis to the subject 'I'. Additionally, using the full form of the pronoun 'tebe' in волим тебе instead of the short form 'te' places the emphasis on the object 'you'.
How does it change in a sentence?
Adding the pronoun ja to the phrase results in ја те волим, which emphasizes the subject 'I'. Alternatively, replacing the short object pronoun te with the full form tebe results in волим тебе, which emphasizes the object 'you'.
How do you pronounce it?
volim te
Did you know?
- The pronoun ја used in ја те волим is a distant relative of the English word 'I', as both descend from the Proto-Indo-European root *éǵh₂.
- While volim te is used for people, the same verb volim is used to express a liking for food or hobbies, such as volim kafu for 'I love coffee'.
- To express an even stronger level of affection than volim te, Serbians use obožavam te, which translates to 'I adore you'.
Examples in context
- Volim te, ali ne tako.I love you, but not that way.This example shows how to specify the nature of the love using the form volim te.Tatoeba #4243424 by Lebad, translation #4228555 by Spheniscine
- Знам да ме никад нећеш волити као што ја волим тебе.I know that you'll never love me as much as I love you.This example uses the Cyrillic form волим те to compare levels of love.Tatoeba #11068439 by Inego, translation #11066636 by CK
- Mislim da on ne zna da ja volim tebe.I don't think he knows I love you.This example uses the Latin form volim te to express a thought about someone's knowledge of your feelings.Tatoeba #3366766 by neron, translation #2895083 by AlanF_US
- 3 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Milica and Nikola are saying goodbye for the evening.
- MilicaВолим те, Никола.I love you, Nikola.
- NikolaИ ја тебе волим, Милице.I love you too, Milica.
- MilicaВидимо се сутра.See you tomorrow.
- NikolaЛаку ноћ, драга.Good night, dear.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “I love you” translations and entries волим те, ја те волим, ja te volim, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries ja, te, те, ја, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
